If there is one obvious symbol of the redefinition of the consumer brand mindset, the successful election campaign of Barack Obama is it. By tapping into a consumer citizen desire for change, respect, interaction, conversation, community, transparency, accountability, and trust, the Obama campaign was able to harness the power of the majority of the US electorate into becoming brand Obama believers, evangelists, and supporters. Love him or hate him, there is no question that Obama’s campaign changed the strategic and tactical reciprocal approach to winning the hearts and minds of people. Today’s brands can learn much from this.
As with politics and governance, consumers want the traditional one-way interaction with brands to end too. They want respect, they want a voice, they want community, and they want transparency from their brands. Most importantly they want all this on their terms — not the brand’s. This power shift favoring consumers is a fait accompli and brands need to openly join their consumers and aid in the forging of a new, symbiotic relationship based on more than simply the exchange of money for goods and services. A new relationship based on mutual admiration and trust must move forward.
The Internet and, more directly, social media has put the power into consumers’ hands. Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, the flowering of millions of blogs, the multiple, self-contained fan and review communities and sites, and the ease and ability of a few to rally millions online (and offline) has enabled consumers to frame the discussion and direction of brands with relative ease. Good initiatives from Burger King, Comcast, Whole Foods, Zappos, and Etsy have connected with consumers. While bad ones from Belkin, Motrin, and Skittles have reverberated negatively online and forced the brands to serve up mea culpas.
Some brands have embraced the power of the new conversational marketing but most are still stuck in the experimental stage. As the latest Forrester Research study Social Media Playtime is Over points out, brands need to move beyond experimentation and begin the full integration of these strategies and tactics into all marketing and messaging campaigns. The longer brands wait to fully embrace this new role, the more they leave the door open for new entrants and competitors who better understand and respect the new paradigm to chip away at their brand and market share.
How can brands get moving on this? Here are few places to start:
- Admit that there has been a power-shift and that power is now shared. Marketing CMO and staffs need to stand firm with C-level senior management over the cultural shift and the need for the company to adapt. 175MM Facebook users is not small fry.
- Allocate enough resources and budget to adequately fund and staff open-ended conversational campaigns. The ROI is there.
- Listen to the consumer.
- Engage the consumer. Speak with — not at — your consumer where they live. Do it on their and their culture’s terms.
- Respect the mediums and platforms. Leave the traditional PR, media buying, or advertising voice behind. It’s about dialogues not a monologue.
- Empower and aid those who love your brand and allow them to play in your sandbox.
